Togo: Opposition calls for transition following ECOWAS court ruling

Togo’s opposition is calling for the establishment of a political transition following a ruling by the Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) that described the country’s March 2024 constitutional reform as an “unconstitutional change of government.”

The demand was made on August 25, 2026, during a press conference held by a coalition of opposition parties. The coalition also published a memorandum outlining its interpretation of the ruling handed down by the ECOWAS Court in late January.

Opposition Says Government Has Lost Legitimacy

The opposition argues that the current authorities are no longer legitimate and should make way for a transition aimed at rebuilding the country’s institutional foundations. “Today, we expect nothing more from a government that has neither legitimacy nor legality and is therefore disqualified under the African Union’s legal framework,” said Nathaniel Olympio, spokesperson for the Touche pas à ma Constitution movement, in comments to RFI.

He called for a transition as what he described as the only peaceful way to prevent further political tensions. “The only option is to move toward a transition to find the means to rebuild the foundations of the Republic. This is the only peaceful path that can allow Togolese people to avoid unnecessary upheaval,” Olympio said.

The opposition also plans to pursue the matter through diplomatic channels, particularly with ECOWAS and the African Union, urging both institutions to take the consequences of the ECOWAS Court ruling into account.

Constitutional Reform at the Heart of the Dispute

The ECOWAS Court was seized two years ago by 13 political parties and civil society organizations following Togo’s constitutional overhaul. The reform, adopted in 2024, transformed Togo into a parliamentary system under the Fifth Republic and abolished the direct election of the president by universal suffrage. The opposition has also challenged the circumstances under which the new Constitution was adopted, arguing that it was approved by a National Assembly whose mandate had already expired.

The ECOWAS Court subsequently described the constitutional change as an “unconstitutional change of government,” a characterization now being used by the opposition to support its call for a transition.

Faure Gnassingbé at the Center of the New Political System

The constitutional reform fundamentally changed the structure of executive power in Togo. Faure Gnassingbé, who served as president from 2005 to 2025, was sworn in on May 3, 2025, as President of the Council, a new position created under the revised Constitution. The opposition now argues that the ECOWAS Court ruling provides a new legal and political basis for challenging the current institutional arrangement. For the opposition coalition, the next step will be to combine domestic mobilization with diplomatic pressure on regional and continental institutions.